Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Nuclear Reactors

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they are having with Rolls-Royce about small modular reactors (SMRs); and what progress the Office for Nuclear Regulation has made in approving those SMRs for operation.

lord henley: Through our Nuclear Sector deal, Government continue to explore whether advanced nuclear technologies, such as small modular reactors, could be an important source of low carbon energy in the future.The deal also highlights a new framework designed to aid the development of advanced nuclear technologies. The framework includes consideration of financing, siting and international collaboration as well as building regulatory readiness for advanced reactors.The Government has committed up to £12m to build the regulatory capability and capacity of the nuclear regulators, the Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency, to develop their ability to take future licensing decisions on small and advanced reactor designs.We also committed, with the regulators, to modernise and open Generic Design Assessment (GDA) for small reactors. This regulatory process assesses the safety, security and environmental aspects of a new nuclear reactor design. In December 2018, Expressions of Interest were invited for the GDA process for small and advanced modular reactors. We have received 5 so far for GDAs commencing between 2019 and 2023. We will open a process for formal applications soon.

Construction: Migrant Workers

lord stunell: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of new workers required to replace workers from other EU countries who may leave the construction industry following the UK's withdrawal from the EU; and what measures they are putting in place to ensure that sufficient numbers are recruited and trained.

lord henley: The Construction Industry Training Board produces estimates of the number of workers required by the construction sector in future years, by region and by occupation. The Government has not produced specific estimates of the potential impacts of withdrawal from the European Union on the construction workforce. However, it has set out a clear policy that would enable EU nationals currently working in the UK to remain. The Government is committed to working with the construction sector to ensure the construction workforce is equipped with the skills it will need now and in the future. This includes through the commitment made in the Construction Sector Deal to increase the number of apprenticeship starts to 25,000 by 2020. The Government has also invested £24m through the Construction Skills Fund, which will invest in new learning hubs to accelerate the training of the construction workforce.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Hakeem AlAraibi

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for the Middle East on 14 November 2018 (199906), what assessment they have made of the extent to which the proposed extradition of Hakeem Ali Alaraibi by Thailand to Bahrain would be consistent with international human rights law; and whether officials at the British Embassy in Bangkok have made any representations to the government of Thailand about this case.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are aware that Hakeem Al-Araibi is currently in detention in Thailand. This is a matter for the Governments of Thailand, Bahrain and Australia.

Bahrain: Political Prisoners

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Bahrain about reports of (1) the suspension of access to phone calls, and (2) other punitive measures in place to deter inmates from interacting with female political prisoners Hajer Mansoor, Medina Ali and Najah Yusuf at Isa Town Prison in Bahrain.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Our Embassy in Bahrain and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office continue to monitor the cases of Hajer Mansoor, Najah Ahmed Yusuf and Medina Ali. The UK has raised the cases at a senior level with the Government of Bahrain. We continue to encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the relevant human rights oversight bodies. We also continue to encourage these bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations into any such allegations. We understand that the National Institution for Human Rights and the Ministry of Interior Ombudsman are aware of these cases and have been in contact with the three individuals in question.

Hassan Mushaima

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Bahrain about the detention of Hassan Mushaima, and his access to (1) the results of his cancer scans taken in August 2018, and (2) family visits; and, further to those discussions, what progress they understand has been made on those issues.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Our Embassy in Bahrain and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office continue to follow the case of Hassan Mushaima closely and have raised it with the Government of Bahrain at a senior level. The Government of Bahrain have given categorical assurances that, in his case and others, there is and has been access to appropriate medical care while in detention. We also understand that Mr Mushaima has received visits from family members.

Bahrain: Political Prisoners

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Bahrain about reports of reprisals against Hajer Mansoor and Sayed Nizar Alwadaei following the call for their immediate and unconditional release by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in January.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have received assurances from the Bahraini authorities that there have been no reprisals against the family members of Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, including Hajer Mansoor and Sayed Nizar Alwadaei. We encourage those with concerns to report these to the appropriate Bahrain human rights oversight bodies and also encourage these oversight bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations into any such claims. We continue to monitor these individual cases and have raised them at senior levels with the Government of Bahrain. ​

Bahrain: Political Prisoners

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Bahrain about reports of restrictions to family visits for Nabeel Rajab and Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja which prevent any physical contact.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We urge those with concerns about treatment whilst in detention to report these to the appropriate national oversight body. We also continue to encourage these oversight bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations into any such claims. We have raised the case of Mr Rajab with the Government of Bahrain at a senior level.

Egypt: Gaza

lord turnberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Egypt about the closure of the Rafah crossing from Gaza.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa discussed the situation in Gaza with the Egyptian Foreign Minister in October, and officials in Cairo regularly raise the issue of Rafah crossing with the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, most recently on 10 January. The Minister also raised the issue of Palestinian Authority staff being withdrawn from the Rafah crossing with the Palestinian Head of Mission to London on 23 January. We continue to urge Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Egypt to work together to ensure a durable solution for Gaza.

Zimbabwe: Internet

baroness stroud: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the government of Zimbabwe has instructed internal providers to disconnect and restrict internet access.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are aware that the Zimbabwean government shut down the internet and blocked a number of social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp from 15 January.On 17 January, the Minister for Africa, Harriett Baldwin MP, summoned the Zimbabwean Ambassador and urged the Zimbabwean government to stop the disproportionate use of force, investigate any alleged human rights violations and restore full access to the internet. On 21 January the Foreign Secretary repeated the call in a public message to President Mnangagwa.We welcome the 21 January ruling of the Zimbabwean High Court that overturned the government decision to shut down the internet.

Zimbabwe: Violence

baroness stroud: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Zimbabwe following reports of recent violence; and what plans they have for continued engagement with that government on that issue.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Minister for Africa, Harriett Baldwin MP, summoned the Zimbabwean Ambassador on 17 January to express our concern at the ongoing situation in Zimbabwe. Minister Baldwin urged Zimbabwe to stop disproportionate use of force by the security forces and investigate any cases of alleged human rights abuses. On 21 January the Foreign Secretary, in a public message to President Mnangagwa, urged him not to turn back the clock and to work with all Zimbabweans in dialogue for a better future.We will continue to raise our serious concerns, and push for a thorough investigation, with the Government of Zimbabwe through our Embassy in Harare and Ministerial interventions.

Religious Freedom: Databases

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they are making in developing a database which tracks freedom of religion or belief violations and other data about religious or belief minorities.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It is important that we have the best possible information about the situation members of minorities face in asserting their right to Freedom of Religion or Belief. It is certainly something that I have been looking at very closely since my appointment last summer as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy. We currently use many sources of information to determine the level of discrimination of different communities around the world. In addition, we have strong partnerships with representatives and leaders of different communities around the world. We are looking at how we can verify and use the data provided by non-governmental organisations and others ​to inform our work and help us provide the right support.

St Helena: Tortoises

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to authorising the removal of cataracts under local anaesthetic for Jonathan, the giant tortoise living in the grounds of the residence of the Governor of St Helena; and what assessment they have made of the impact that carrying out such an operation would have on (1) the island’s wider giant tortoise population, and (2) tourism to the island.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: St Helena’s most famous resident, Jonathan the tortoise, is looked after by the island vet who ensures a high-standard of care to the world’s oldest terrestrial animal. After much deliberation on the island, the vet decided removing Jonathan’s cataracts was too high-risk a procedure. I reassure the noble Lord that despite being over 187 years old, Jonathan continues to lead an active life. The climate on St Helena, while perfect for diving and mountain walking, is not conducive to breeding this species of tortoise. The increasing number of flights to St Helena from South Africa is providing a welcome boost to St Helena’s tourism industry, and will allow even more people to meet this much loved member of the St Helena community.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

lord oates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government ofZimbabwe about the ongoing political and economic situation in that country.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Minister for Africa, Harriett Baldwin, summoned the Zimbabwean Ambassador on 17 January to express our concern at the ongoing situation in Zimbabwe. Minister Baldwin urged Zimbabwe to stop disproportionate use of force by the security forces and investigate any cases of alleged human rights abuses. On 21 January the Foreign Secretary, in a public message to President Mnangagwa, urged him not to turn back the clock and to work with all Zimbabweans in dialogue for a better future.

UN Human Rights Council

baroness anelay of st johns: To ask Her Majesty's Government what issues they will raise as a priority at the next meeting of the UN Human Rights Council due to be held between 25 February and 22 March in Geneva; and which countries they will highlight as countries of concern in their statement to the Council.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The Government's priority for all sessions of the UN Human Rights Council is to ensure that it holds those responsible for human rights violations and abuses to account, effectively addresses global threats to human rights, and strengthens protections for the future. At the 40th session, specific priorities will include the human rights situation in Syria, Sri Lanka, Burma, Iran, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Libya and South Sudan, and thematic priorities of media freedom, human rights defenders, and freedom of religion or belief. The UK will continue to use statements to the Council to hold countries that violate human rights to account.

Department for International Development

Gaza: Drugs

lord turnberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Palestinian Authority about the restrictions that have been imposed on the supply of medicines to Gaza.

lord turnberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the Palestinian Authority about the restrictions that have been imposed on the healthcare budget for the population of Gaza.

lord bates: A senior UK Government official discussed a range of challenges facing the Palestinian healthcare system with the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) Minister of Health in June last year, including the PA’s healthcare budget, the quality of healthcare available, and shortages of drugs and medical supplies in Gaza. Restrictions in Gaza were most recently raised with the PA earlier this month by a UK Government official.

Department for Education

Citizenship: Education

lord hodgson of astley abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce a specialist leader of education category for the teaching of citizenship; and if so, when.

lord agnew of oulton: Following the government’s commitment, set out in our response to the Lords Select Committee report ‘The Ties that Bind: Citizenship and Civic Engagement in the 21st Century’, the introduction of specialist leaders of education in citizenship was announced earlier this month.

Citizenship: Education

lord hodgson of astley abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to distinguish between the teaching ofpersonal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education and the teaching of citizenship in the national curriculum.

lord agnew of oulton: All state schools must offer a curriculum that is broad and balanced and that prepares pupils for the opportunities and responsibilities of later life. The department does not, however, stipulate how schools should organise themselves to best deliver their curriculum. Schools have a duty to support the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils and support the promotion of fundamental British values. Ofsted is currently consulting on proposals for a new inspection framework that has a strong emphasis on schools providing a broad and balanced curriculum for all their pupils. Citizenship is in the national curriculum at key stages 3 and 4 and provides pupils with knowledge, skills and understanding to prepare them to be informed, active and engaged citizens. The citizenship programme of study, introduced in September 2014, allows schools the freedom to use their professional judgement and an understanding of their pupils to develop the right approach for teaching in their schools.  Personal, social, health and economic education is a non-statutory subject in maintained schools although most schools teach it. Whilst it is not part of the national curriculum, schools are encouraged to teach it as part of their duty to provide a broad and balanced curriculum. It is compulsory in independent schools. The government is making relationships education compulsory in all primary schools, relationships and sex education compulsory in all secondary schools and health education compulsory in all state-funded schools. We recently consulted on draft guidance for these subjects and this included a statement to note that these new subjects should complement, rather than duplicate, what is already taught through the national curriculum. We expect to lay the regulations, and accompanying draft guidance, in spring 2019 for debate and vote in Parliament.

Ministry of Justice

Unpaid Fines

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the value of court imposed fines for crimes committed that have been left unpaid; and what steps they are taking to recover payments due.

lord keen of elie: The amount of outstanding court fines as at 31st March for the financial year 2017/18 is detailed below.Year ended 31st MarchCumulative amount outstanding £’0002018623,609The total amount of outstanding fines includes impositions made in the year stated or any previous year. It includes accounts that were not due to be paid by the end of the period specified and those that were being paid by instalments on agreed payment plansThis Government takes the recovery and enforcement of financial impositions very seriously and remains committed to ensuring impositions are paid. The courts will do everything within their powers to trace those who do not pay and use a variety of means to ensure the recovery of criminal fines and financial penalties. Money can be deducted from an offender's earnings or from benefits if they are unemployed. Other ‘upfront’ compliance actions include, increased use of telephone and text message chasing and use of tracing tools. Warrants can be issued instructing approved enforcement agents to seize and sell goods belonging to the offender. Ultimately an offender can be imprisoned for non-payment of their fine.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing

baroness thomas of winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer byLord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 4 December 2018 (HL Deb, cols 932–3), when they expect to publish new planning guidance for local authorities on housing for older and disabled people.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: We have strengthened national planning policy so that local planning authorities are expected to have clear policies for addressing the housing needs of older and disabled people. We will publish further planning guidance that will assist councils to put these policies in place, in due course.

Department for Work and Pensions

State Retirement Pensions: Uprating

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Buscombe on 7 January (HL12466), with which EU countries the UK currently has reciprocal arrangementscovering the annual uprating of State Pensions in the EU to which they will revert if the UK leaves the EU.

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Buscombe on 7 January (HL12466), with which EU countries the UK does not have reciprocal arrangements covering the annual uprating of State Pensions in the EU to which they will revert if the UK leaves the EU; and with which of those countries they have entered negotiations for post-Brexit arrangements to replace the European Union Pensions Directive.

baroness buscombe: The UK has seventeen reciprocal social security agreements with EU Member States which are in use between some or all of the Crown Dependencies and the relevant EU country which provide for reciprocal uprating of state pension. The EU countries are: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. In the event the UK leaves without a withdrawal agreement, the UK will keep the role of pre-existing Reciprocal Agreements with individual Member States under review. Whether these come back into force will be subject to discussion and agreement between the UK and the relevant EU Member State. There are ten EU countries where there is no reciprocal social security agreement in place. Those countries are: Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. The UK government has taken the necessary steps to protect the rights of citizens through legislation and set out the measures it will take in a no deal scenario. The measures are based on the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement in the policy paper: “Citizens’ Rights - EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU” dated 6 December 2018. For social security arrangements, the UK will have retained EU law allowing the UK to apply the current social security coordination rules to protect those in receipt or entitled to a UK State Pension or benefit, including where they live in the EU. This will apply equally to citizens from all EU Member States. In a no deal scenario, we will uprate the UK State Pension for those living in the EU in 2019-20, with a view to securing continued reciprocal social security arrangements in future.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Veterinary Medicine: Migrant Workers

lord rogan: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will agree to a transition period for veterinary graduates from other EU member states to continue to be registered to practise in the UK after the UK leaves the EU.

lord gardiner of kimble: Veterinary graduates from EU member states will still be able to register to practice in the UK after we leave the EU. The process for doing so will depend on the final outcome of the negotiations on our departure from the EU and will be subject to Parliamentary approval.EU qualified vets who are already on the RCVS register will remain on the register, and those who apply for registration with RCVS by 29 March 2019 will be allowed to complete that process under existing rules.

Common Land

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many applications they have receivedfor village green status; and of those, how manywere successful.

lord gardiner of kimble: According to the latest figures available, since 2006 there have been thirteen applications for the registration of village greens under Section 15 of the Commons Act 2006. Of these, three were granted in full, one was granted in part, six were refused and two were withdrawn. One is currently awaiting hearing at the Supreme Court.

Cabinet Office

Statutory Instruments

lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Governmentdepartments are expected to make public the results of external consultations relating to the preparation of statutory instruments.

lord young of cookham: The Cabinet Office is responsible for the Government Consultation Principles, which provide departments with guidance on conducting consultations and can be found on gov.uk https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/consultation-principles-guidance.This guidance states that government responses to consultations should be published in a timely fashion. It also states that where consultations concern a statutory instrument, responses should be published before or at the same time as the instrument is laid, except in very exceptional circumstances.

Treasury

Supported Housing: VAT

lord mawson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether VAT is being added to the cost of site staff at supported housing facilities for elderly people and similar schemes; and what assessment they have made of the (1) financial, and (2) practical implications of that policy for (a) such facilities, and (b) elderly residents of those facilities who have limited resources.

lord bates: The supply of any on-site staff to an individual, landlord or company has, since the inception of VAT, been a taxable supply.As there has been no change in government policy in this area, no financial or practical assessment on implications of this policy for housing facilities for elderly people has been carried out.Any individuals facing difficulties in meeting their accommodation costs may want to contact the Department for Work and Pensions to establish whether they are entitled to any additional financial support.

Soft Drinks: Taxation

baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any revenue from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy is being used to fund oral health improvement programmes.

lord bates: The 2016 Budget announced funding for a number of programmes to support pupil health and wellbeing linked to the revenue from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy. These include doubling funding for the primary physical education and Sport Premium to £320 million a year from 2017, providing £100 million in 2018/19 for the healthy pupils capital fund, and providing up to £26 million to kick-start or improve breakfast club provision in over 1,700 schools. Separately, Public Health England is leading a wide ranging multi-agency programme focusing on improving children’s oral health. NHS England’s ‘Starting Well’ programme is working in 13 high needs areas aiming to improve oral health in children under five years old who would not normally be regular dental attenders.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Paralympic Games: Malaysia

lord pickles: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the International Paralympic Committee about the proposed ban on Israeli athletes attending the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships.

lord ashton of hyde: The International Paralympic Committee announced this week the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships would no longer be held in Malaysia.

Subversion

lord stoddart of swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in supporting the EU Joint Action Plan against Disinformation, they have confidence that no member state, including the UK, sanctions or tolerates the spreading of disinformation.

lord ashton of hyde: The Government welcomes the Commission’s ‘Joint Action Plan against Disinformation’ as an important step in efforts to counter this threat. All countries must take action to protect their societies against disinformation. By agreeing on the Action Plan, the EU has signalled that disinformation activity from any source will not be tolerated. The UK will do what is necessary to protect ourselves and work with our allies to do likewise.